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Didn't even get the Roglic attack. I was too optimistic earlier.
What a disappointing stage! No GC action on the fearsome Crans Montana stage. The guys must have been thinking there would be one more climb and were caught by surprise. Besides crashes and withdrawals (that were pretty spectacular TBF) it's the weakest first 2 weeks of the Giro I can remember (at least GC wise).
At least the breakaway delivered. Pinot was attacking like crazy. At some point he should have realized that it's better to save some bullets for later. Cepeda was also trying but it was Rubio (seemingly the weakest and unable to match their accelerations) that saved most energy and suddenly was able to take off and drop his rivals at the end, congrats for smart riding! Primoz must still be feeling the effects of his crash, it was way too calm by his standards. Ineos drones just set a good tempo and nothing happened. Hopefully the 3rd week will be better.
At least the breakaway delivered. Pinot was attacking like crazy. At some point he should have realized that it's better to save some bullets for later. Cepeda was also trying but it was Rubio (seemingly the weakest and unable to match their accelerations) that saved most energy and suddenly was able to take off and drop his rivals at the end, congrats for smart riding! Primoz must still be feeling the effects of his crash, it was way too calm by his standards. Ineos drones just set a good tempo and nothing happened. Hopefully the 3rd week will be better.
Cannot believe Jack Haig was saying before the stage that they should have only done Crans Montana because it was too cold
Does that dweeb know battling the elements is a fundamental part of the sport? He needs to go ride zwift
www.cyclingnews.com
I've seen we're starting the last two climbs but to be honest I don't fully agree," he told CyclingPro at the start. "One of the main reasons that we didn't want to do the middle climb was because the road surface on the downhill was potentially dangerous and we wouldn't have time to put clothes on.
Does that dweeb know battling the elements is a fundamental part of the sport? He needs to go ride zwift
Adverse weather forces Giro d'Italia to cut stage 13 to 74.6km
Grand St Bernard Pass cut as race starts at bottom of Croix de Coeur owing to poor conditions out on route
www.cyclingnews.com
I've seen we're starting the last two climbs but to be honest I don't fully agree," he told CyclingPro at the start. "One of the main reasons that we didn't want to do the middle climb was because the road surface on the downhill was potentially dangerous and we wouldn't have time to put clothes on.
Thibaut never did get it unfortunately, cycling is a game and he rode like the win was his entitlement today.
I just feel betrayed by the riders and completely disgusted with their attitude. Ditching the initial safety arguments and accepting the compromise that left the most dangerous part of the course in the race, in exchange for getting an easier stage in return was just a slap in the face, unequivocally showing that the shortening of the stage was borne out of convenience rather than necessicity. If this had been done to some random transitional stage, it would just have been somewhat annoying as well as created a bad precedent. Doing it for one of the queen stages of the race is a whole different level of s**thousery. They just took a dump on the race, the sport of cycling itself and last but not least us, the fans.
I get that a GT is extreme physical challenge at the best of cases and the appalling weather the riders have had to endure makes it tougher still, so I can definitely symphatize with them on that front. But in the end they are professionals doing their job, ones that for the most part get paid quite well for it. For me the attitude they displayed today was deeply and thoroughly unprofessional.
I get that a GT is extreme physical challenge at the best of cases and the appalling weather the riders have had to endure makes it tougher still, so I can definitely symphatize with them on that front. But in the end they are professionals doing their job, ones that for the most part get paid quite well for it. For me the attitude they displayed today was deeply and thoroughly unprofessional.
I love this stuff. It's petty but gloriously entertaining at the same time.
As for the stage, I think the moment Bahrain & Caruso came to the front on Croix de Coeur (that's COEUR btw, not couer as I've seen everywhere today, even on tv, i.e. it's French & means heart). Anyway that moment Caruso looked like he fancied having a go & then thought 'nah, I could wreck myself on the other side'.
It was a funny reality check because a lot of fans on social media had been screaming for Caruso to risk his neck in an all out suicide attack.
It's so funny to me that whenever something like this happens (and it's been happening with some frequency the last few years) many journos and pro cycling insiders will be like "whether or not you agree with the decision, it's good to see the riders sticking together because that never ever ever ever ever happens". Sir it happens all the time but apparently only to get races neutralized with the flimsiest excuses, maybe we should start focusing on whether the decision was right or wrong?
To put it mildly: The GC teams would have sent a better message if they had shown some attacking spirit after having forced the organizers to shorten the stage.
Were journos also just happy when riders stuck together against doping controls?
So maybe there's a chance that in 20 years they will see how they are wrong now?
Just a headsup this is a day old, so todays (non)events wont be discussed
I'd put it slightly differently. In fact, this is what I like about Pinot, he cares about more than just the scoreboard, and you can see it in the way he rides and the way he carries himself.
However, when you don't care to play the game you ruin your chances. Had he just paced that climb to the kite at a few watts below threshold he probably would've destroyed both of them in the sprint had Rubio even managed to hang on. Or had he just paced Cepeda a bit on the climb after that last attack. Or followed Rubio's wheel instead of Cepeda's in the sprint. But yeah, he got into an entertaining but inconsequential tiff with Jefferson and ended up undermining a massive shot at a stage win and a few seconds in the GC as well. Cycling is a game but it's also a show, and I'll take entertaining but self-sabotaging over pragmatic and uber-competitive every day of the week. You just have to live with things not working out in the end.
Rolf Aldag already mentioned halfway up the climb that Pinot should rather rely on the sprint with the punch he always had when attacking. Also jokingly tipped Rubio has the winner.
But I mean those were true emotions and we know how important that final gt victory was for Pinot. That's what I love about cycling. Athletes still show true emotions and create great polemics being blunt.
But I mean those were true emotions and we know how important that final gt victory was for Pinot. That's what I love about cycling. Athletes still show true emotions and create great polemics being blunt.
Well, I didn’t see the stage but judging by the reaction I didn’t miss much? Really annoyed the stage was so drastically cut.
Me and my dad had the same discussion during the stage, I also tipped Rubio to outsprint everyone in the end (he did outsprint Pogacar on a Matajur MTF in the u23 ranks). I don't blame Pinot, but the team should have calmed him down and told him to just ride tempo and outsprint the others. The other option is to make a deal with Rubio, you both gain as much time as possible on the gc and fight in out for the stage win in a sprint.
In the end the lack of panache from the gc group was an even bigger disgrace than the tappone mutilato. Shades of 2012...
To me it looked like Croix de Coeur would be better as a pass the other way around, with the nicer road as the descent. Frankly I don't blame anyone for not taking any major risks on that descent when it's wet and there's a decent amount of gravel on the road.
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